[CLUE-Talk] Traitors, Cowards, Scoundrels, and Intelligent Dissenters

[Dennis J Perkins]

Kevin Cullis wrote:

>On Thu, 2003-03-27 at 07:15, Dennis J Perkins wrote:
>  
>
>>My dad likes to say, "if everyone else jumped off a cliff, I suppose you would 
>>want to do it too."  
>>
>>I've angered at least one friend by my attitude about this war.  He thinks that 
>>we must uncritically support the president.  Why?  Don't I have the right to 
>>dissent?  Isn't this a democracy?  Or has the bill of rights been repealed?  If 
>>someone says you are either with them or against them, that means they think 
>>you don't have the right to disagree with them.  That usually means I am 
>>against them.
>>    
>>
>
>As a conservative, I am not angered by your disagreement of dissent, but
>in fact if you were an Iraqie dissenting against Saddam, you'd be put in
>prison or shot and so would your family. So, from my perspective,
>dissent all you want.  But one word of caution: please DO be careful
>what you say with our troops in harms way.  Sometimes what you say will
>come back to haunt THEM why they are being held captive.  Nothing is
>more hopeless when as a POW you know your country has forgotten you or
>being called "baby killers" by those who are not only ignorant but
>selfish (not saying you are).  So say what you want, but anything you
>say or do can be used against American's in action.
>

You should always be careful what you say.  I don't consider myself a 
liberal or a conservative.  What I do find offensive is the attitude 
that this is a black or white issue, that is, you must be with me or 
against me.

>
>  
>
>>I am not convinced that we should be doing this.  Who appointed us policemen of 
>>the world?  Is there enough of a threat to justify the war?  What if we don't 
>>find the proof we're looking for?  
>>    
>>
>
>So, you'd wait for another 9/11?
>
>Might does not always make right, but might should back up right.
>

No, but I'm not convinced that this is the right course of action.  The 
fact that this Administration tends not to be forthcoming with 
information and actually tries to block the Freedom of Information Act 
(I'm not talking about anything in reference to this conflict), has 
tried to push thru legislation that would let the FBI et al. bypass the 
courts in the name of national security, does not make me an ardent 
supporter of Bush.  I didn't think much of Clinton either.

What if we do not find the weapons that we said are there?  Calling this 
a war to liberate the Iraqi people is not only propaganda, it is 
dangerous.  And there is no guarantee that we will leave the country in 
better shape when we are done.  If the leader of the most powerful 
country in the world decides you don't measure up to his standards, does 
that give him the right to depose you?  What if the British had decided 
to do this to us when we still had slavery?